Reflector



Nm; 39 1.932.. BEAN 1,889,188

REFLECTOR Filed May 9, 1931 .i hz/enir: flouis fLBe n.

Fatente Wild at, FEM, @lf

r Ft, @UWBMG application filed May 9, 1931.

Thisinvention relates to light reflectors, and more particularly tolight reflectors adapted to cooperate directly with asource' whereby thelight from a given source may be more eficiently distributed forpurposes of general illumination.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved constructionand arrangement of curved reflecting surfaces in operative combinationwith a light source, whereby the light rays emanating from said sourcemay be spread over an unusually wide area with substantially uniformintensity throughout the area.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved reflector incombination with a light source, which reflector is composed of aplurality of curved reflecting surfaces so interrelated as to projectthe light from said source eficiently, the projected light beingdiffused rather than concentrated and hence substantially free fromglare.

A further object of the inventionis to provide a light reflector of thecharacter described which readily lends itself to simple, inexpensivemanufacturin operations and which is susceptible of e cient functioningin any of a wide variety of installations.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combinationofelements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims andillustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which- 4 Figure 1 is a frontelevation of my improved reflector as arranged for practical use. theshowing of Figure 1 taken on the indicated line 2- 2 of said latterfigure. Figure 3 is a half horizontal section of the showing of Figure 1taken on .the indicated line 33 of said latter figure.

As is clearly shown in the drawing, the improved reflector comprisesthree distinct curved surfaces 10, 11 and 12, the latter two Figure 2 isa vertical section through.

t lerlal No. 5365310..

of which are identical and arranged in spaced opposition, the surface 10serving to complete the assembly and act as the-connecting elementbetween the surfaces 11 and 12. The surface 10 is a strip-like elementconcaved in two perpendicularly-related directions and corresponds to aradial zone taken from the surface of a solid generated by rotating aparabola about a line parallel with the directrix and perpendicular tothe axis of said curve. The strip carrying the surface 10 is arrangedwith its length horizontally of the improved reector so that the axis ofthe parabola defining said surface becomes the axis of the reflector,the concavity of said surface 10 thus being symmetrical about thereflector axis in the horizontal and vertical planes containing saidaxis. Thus, as is clearly shown in Figure 2, the vertical planecontaining the axis of the reflector shows the curvature of the surface10 as a circular arc, while the horizontal section containing said axis,illustrated in Figure 3, shows the curvature of said surface as thevertex and more extended adjacent portions of a parabola. The surfaces11 and 12 are more regular in form, being identical surfaces conformingto the surface of a segment cut from a parabolic conoid by a planeparallel with the axis of the conoid, the chord of the are at the baseof said segment corresponding in length with the horizontal spread ofthe strip surface 10 at the forward margin of the refiector. The surface11 closes the upper side of the strip surface 10 and joins with saidsurface in a line forming the apex of the angle between said surfaces,said line being not quite straight, but curving slightly upward as it isextended on either side of the vertical plane of the reflector, so thatthe vertical height of the strip 10 is slightly less at its midportionthan at either of its ends. The relation of the surfaces 10 and 11 isdetermined by the relation of the axes of said surfaces, the axis ofrotation of the surface 11 being positioned in the same vertical planewith, beneath and parallel with the axis of the surface 10. In likemanner, the surface 12 closes the lower side of the strip surface 10 andjoins with said surface in the sects the surfaces 11 and 12 in circulararcs and the surface 10 in circular arcs of wider spread, the frontopening of the reflector thus presenting the form of an approximateellipse interrupted at four points by the curvilinear angles formed bythe intersections of the curved surfaces 10, 11 and 12.

A suitable light source, indicated at 13 as an electric light bulb, ismounted 1n the reflector in any suitable or convenient manner and sopositioned. relative to the reflector as to locate the light-producingelement of the source as nearly as possible on the axis of the reflectorand closely adjacent the focal point of the horizontally-disposedparabola of the surface 10. A convenient means of mounting the lightsource 13 in the reflector is illustrated in Figure 2 as comprising anapertured boss 14 beneath and opening through the surface 12, a bulbsocket member 15 engaged in the aperture of said boss and a light bulb13 seated in and extending within the reflector from said socket member.

With the reflector and light source arranged as illustrated and abovedescribed,

' light from said source will be projected through the opening of thereflector throughout an unusually wide spread, substantially free fromglare. A very few of the light rays from the source will be projected inparallel relation from the reflector, in fact, owing to the difficultyof confining the source to a single point, practically no beam withparallel or converging rays will be projected, the only possible sourceof such a beam being the reflection fromthe parabola of the surface 10lying in the horizontal plane, and that beam is destroyed by themultiplicity of points comprising the light source and the infinitenumber of other rays from the reflector intersecting the rays of saidbeam at various angles. Since the light source is positioned behind thefocal point of the parab ola of the surface 10 lying in the verticalplane, rays from the light source impinging on said parabola will bereflected in diverging relation through the reflector opening or againstthe surfaces 11 and 12, from which latter surfaces the rays are againreflected outwardly of the reflector at still different angles. Raysfrom the light source impinging directly on the surfaces 11 and 12 arere flected outwardly of the reflector at various angles, most if not allof said rays being in diverging relation, and some of said rays willintersect the frontal plane of the reflector at a very small angle, thusgiving unusually eflicient lighting effect on, all sides of the re-' mayappear expedient for the function to which the reflector is to beadapted. The reflector is designed for operation with no frontal lensother than a protective plane covering of suitably transparent material,any curved lens which would refract or other- 'wise change the directionof the projected light rays being destructive of the efliciency andparticular advantages of the reflector. Suitablebrackets may be securedto the reflector for mounting thereof, or the reflector may be enclosedsave for its frontal area in a housing or cabinet, and the mounting maybe fixed or adjustable, all of which details are matters of specificinstallation and use of the reflector and in no wise related. to theconstruction, function and successful operation thereof.

Since changes and modifications in the proportions of the reflectorshown and described, and in the mathematical constants of the curvesemployed in said reflector, may be made and may indeed be required forcertain specific adaptations thereof, all without departing from thespirit of the invention, I wish to be understood as being limited solelyby the scope of the. appended claims rather than by any details of theillustrative showing and foregoing description.

I claim as my invention 1. A light reflector comprising three concaved,rearwardly-converging reflecting surfaces in angular interrelation, twoof said surfaces being identical and arranged in spaced opposition onopposite sides of and intersecting relation with said third surface, theconcavity of each of said surfaces presenting different curves inperpendicularlyrelated planes intersecting said surface.

2. A light reflector comprising three concaved, rearwardly-convergingreflecting surfaces in angular interrelation, two of said surfaces beingidentical segments of the surface of a parabolic conoid arranged inspaced opposition on opposite sides of and intersecting relation withsaid third surface.

3. A light reflector comprising three concaved, rearwardly-convergingreflecting surfaces in angular interrelation, two of said surfaces beingidentical segments of the .surface of a parabolic conoid arranged inspaced opposition and the third of said surfaces being a doublyparabolic strip between, intersectinlg and connecting said conoidalsurfaces.

4. light reflector comprising three concaved, rearwardly-convergingreflecting surfaces in angular interrelation, two of said surfaces beingidentical segments of the surface of a parabolic conoid arranged inspaced opposition and the third of said surfaces being a doublyparabolic strip between, intersecting and connecting said conoidalsurfaces, the axes of rotation of said conoidal surfaces lying in thesame plane with,and in spaced parallel relation on opposite sides of theaxis of said doubly parabolic surface.

Signed at Houston, in the county of Harris and State of Texas, this 27day of April,

LOUIS A. BEAN.

